Meatless

gallery

Our guide to the best grilled vegetables will keep you fired up all summer long. Just pick your veggie -- or make mix-and-match kebabs -- and master a few basic techniques. Always heat the grill to precisely the recommended temperature and use skewers to keep small or narrow veggies from falling into the fire (wooden ones should be soaked in water for 30 minutes beforehand so they don't burn). Finally, if you'd like to add restaurant-worthy crosshatch marks, wait until the grate leaves a set of lines, then rotate the vegetables 90 degrees. It's surefire advice for mouthwatering success.

recipe

This beer batter can also be used for chicken tenders, onion rings, and zucchini slices.

recipe

Mini crab cakes encrusted with sesame seeds get a kick from wasabi and soy sauce. The toppings of wasabi, mayonnaise, cucumber, and pickled ginger add creaminess, crispness, and tang, as well as color.

For an especially glossy icing, mix in a few drops of glycerin (available at drugstores).

recipe

Versatility is the name of the game with this icing. Substituting liqueur, milk, or another citrus juice for the lemon juice lets you customize the icing for a variety of cakes. It's especially delicious drizzled atop loaf cakes.